Should You Create Tech Packs Yourself Or Hire a Professional?
A tech pack is a must-have tool for a smooth apparel production operation. It’s a critical document that communicates every detail of your design to manufacturers, hence eliminating guesswork and manufacturing errors.
The problem, however, is that creating a well-detailed tech pack that clearly communicates your design ideas isn’t a walk in the park. If you are inexperienced, it might take you hours on end and several back-and-forths to produce a manageable tech pack.
This then begs the question: should you create tech packs yourself or simply outsource to someone with the time and experience? Well, the answer to that question depends on several variables, and we will be breaking them down in this post.
What Are Tech Packs?

A tech pack is a detailed document that includes design sketches, measurements, materials, construction details, and more. Think of it as the blueprint of any apparel product.
It serves as a communication tool between you the designer and manufacturers, minimizing misunderstandings and reducing production errors. A well-prepared tech pack can save you time, money, and frustration. In other words, it can save you the trouble of multiple production reruns which not only wastes your time but is also costly.
Why Do You Need a Tech Pack?
It’s natural to wonder if you really need a tech pack, especially when you consider the financial and time commitment needed to create one. Truth is, you will always need one, and here are the reasons why:
1. Serves as An Insurance Policy
Picture this: You found a cut-and-sew manufacturer in faraway Vietnam that specializes in producing denim. During the initial consultation call, you clearly explain what you want and even show some reference photos, to which the manufacturer agrees. You both shake on it.
Two weeks later, the sample comes in, and it’s nothing compared with what you had in mind. Angrily, you reach out to the manufacturer to vent your frustration, but they deny any wrongdoing, swearing they did exactly as you instructed. But you know they didn’t. The problem is that you have no concrete evidence to prove they erred.
Situations like this could be easily avoided if you created a tech pack, as you can use it as a reference.
2. Saves You Money And Time
As the old saying goes, if education is expensive, try ignorance. From the fashion perspective, if creating tech packs is expensive, try communicating your designs to a manufacturer without using a tech pack. You will ultimately spend way more on correcting production errors – and waste more time.
3. Simplifies Collaboration
If you’re working with a team of designers, product developers, or quality control specialists, a tech pack acts as a central reference. Everyone involved in the project has access to the same information, making collaboration more seamless.
4. Streamlined Production Process
With a tech pack, your production process becomes more efficient, especially if you are working with a third-party manufacturer. Manufacturers can refer to the document for every step, ensuring consistency and quality. This is especially important if you’re scaling production or working with multiple factories.
Shour You Create a Tech Pack Yourself or Hire Someone? Pros and Cons
Hiring an experienced tech pack creator or going the DIY (do-it-yourself) route has both its pros and cons. Let’s have a look at them:
Creating Tech Packs Yourself
Pros
- Cost saving: If you are just starting and low on cash, creating tech packs yourself is a no-brainer.
- Control: You’re in charge of every detail, ensuring the design matches your vision.
- Skill-building: Learning how to create tech packs can make you a better apparel designer.
Cons
- Time-consuming: It takes time to learn and master the art of creating expert-level tech packs.
- Error-prone: If you are still new at it, you will likely make mistakes when creating a tech pack. These mistakes can greatly affect the final output of your products.
- Lead to delays: Creating tech packs yourself can lead to production delays due to design redos.
Hiring a Professional
Pros
- Faster: Depending on how complex your designs are, it can take a professional tech pack creator 3 to 14 days to deliver. If you are inexperienced and created one yourself, it might take you weeks to finish off.
- Efficiency: They’ll save you time, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business.
- Accuracy: Their attention to detail reduces the likelihood of errors in production.
Cons
- Cost: Hiring an expert can be expensive, which may strain your budget.
- Dependency: Relying on an external party might introduce delays if communication isn’t seamless.
- Vision clarity: If you don’t clearly communicate your vision, the final tech pack might not meet your expectations.
How To Create Tech Packs Yourself

Finally decided to go the DIY route? Here are the right tools to use for a smooth creation process.
1. Adobe Illustrator
Detailed technical sketches – or just flats – are one of the key components of a tech pack. You can create them using old-school pencil and paper, but this approach is largely inefficient. You are better off using vector-based graphic design software like Adobe Illustrator.
It might take a little while to get a hang of it, but the effort will be well worth it.
2. Tech Pack Software
A tech pack don’t end at technical sketches – there is a slew of other documents that go into it, namely specification sheet, bill of materials, etc.
Generating these additional documents manually can be immensely time-consuming and inefficient. As such, you are better off using a tech pack software like Uphance.
With Uphance, you can easily add annotations to your sketches and create graded specification sheets and bill of materials for your tech packs. When you are done, you can generate the tech pack as a PDF and send it off directly to your manufacturer with a few clicks of the button.
3. Tech Pack Templates
Using a tech pack template can save you the trouble of creating one from scratch. You can get them at dirt-cheap prices on places like Etsy.
Hiring a Professional Tech Pack Designer
Conclusion
Creating a tech pack is an investment in your product’s success. It improves communication, reduces errors, and streamlines production while saving time and money.
You can choose to create one yourself or hire a professional. Whichever you choose will largely depend on your budget and desired level of quality.